Lately I've been quite sentimental when I think about my early blogging days. Six years ago there was a small online community of women who enjoyed arts + crafts + design and many of us had little ones. We would post photographs of our kids and our latest creations and we formed these personal connections with one another even though many of us had never met in person. It was back then that I realized that for many of us we needed "something" outside of our identity as wife, mother and worker. For me my blog provided me with a creative outlet and was a little space on the web that was "all mine". Back then "swaps" were fairly common, I hosted a few of my own. People would sign up to participate in a "swap" [each with a different theme], make their goodies and send them off to someone that they most likely never met in person. Over the years the community grew and swaps became less prevalent. A few months ago I tweeted about how J was making freezer paper stencil t-shirts for his 2nd grade market and Paula and I exchanged a few tweets. I suggested we do a simple swap for t-shirts.

The boys helped me make a few t-shirts and we filled a box with the t-shirts and a few Valentine's Day related goodies.

We also sent a box of strawberry pocky with a vintage [is 3+ years considered vintage?] SHIM + SONS gift tag.

My favorite part of course is packaging it all up.

Jen's custom Valentine's Day cards came in handy. I printed them out in a smaller size to use as a gift tag. [And can I tell you how proud I am of J because he's been working on his handwriting and he's made huge improvements! His writing is on the gift tag.]

I haven't had a chance to take photographs of the adorable t-shirts Paula + KJ + Ellie sent the boys. The boys love them! More than anything I love how a simple swap connects us to a beautiful family in Alabama that we've never met [but plan to meet one day].

P.S. I have a NEW project I will be sharing with you all tomorrow! I am very excited!! [And for those of you who are interested in learning how to make your own freezer paper stencil t-shirts, I'll have a simple tutorial for you.]

I am so excited to share with you all the first issue of Gifted holiday magazine + gift guide. Ez, of Creature Comforts Blog, put together the most beautiful online magazine filled with holiday projects, gift ideas and interviews. I had so much fun working on a holiday gift wrapping feature for the magazine [pages 114-124] and feel so honored that one of my photographs was used for the cover! [Thank you, Ez, for allowing me to be a part of Gifted magazine!]

Yvonne and I agreed to do a little moo card swap after I spotted her set last year. I knew this would be a fun swap between Ms. Color + Ms. Neutral [you know who I am, right?]. And she did not disappoint! She is a true natural when it comes to creating beauty [have you seen her home?]. I would have photographed my beautifully wrapped packages [imagine crisp craft paper + twine], but it was gloomy over here and I didn't have the patience to wait another day. Can you imagine my delight when I unwrapped everything and found:

:: the sweetest lemon suitcase ::

:: filled with beautiful Japanese fabric + trim ::

:: inspiring home + food magazines ::

:: a set of Yvonne's moo cards + a beautiful moo card holder :: the detail on the holder is amazing ::

:: an yvestown pincushion :: which I've been secretly coveting for over a year ::

:: and sweet treats straight from the Netherlands ::

Oh yes, I'm a lucky gal. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Yvonne! And since I knew Yvonne loves pink + green, I based her package of goodies around this color palette.

[I'll be putting some Japanese craft books + fabric up for sale tomorrow or Friday. They will not be sold in the shoppe, so stay tuned for the link. And the stationery collection will be ready at the end of next week, sorry for the delay!]

It is no secret I'm a huge fan of Uniform Studio. Maybe it is because I've always loved neutrals [grey + white have been some of my favorite colors since I was a pre-teen, unusual, but true] or because I wanted to be an architect or fashion designer when I was younger [Martha is both of these]. But really--the clean lines, simple yet innovative styling, perfect proportions--what's not to love? And Martha's attention to detail is consistent, from her packaging to the clothing she designs, everything looks like a piece of art.

So I couldn't have been more thrilled to open up these beautiful brown paper packages. What was inside? Muji goodness for the boys.

Beautiful vintage fabric for moi.

And the Friedrich jacket we ordered from her online shop. It is even more beautiful in person, just ask my boys.

:: "I wuv it." :: "Ooh, inside pretty." ::

:: big hug for Martha :: looking dapper in his new jacket ::

I intended the jacket to be worn by Baby J, but it actually fits Big J perfectly.

:: "I love it T H I S much." :: silly boy ::

:: "cheese." :: "do I look like a general?" ::

I think we all need a bit of Uniform Studio in our wardrobes, wouldn't you agree?

A special little girl in Texas is celebrating her 7th birthday today. Her mother ordered a few of my girly aprons for her birthday present. Apparently she has been pining away at the little aprons at Anthropologie. I hope she likes her birthday present!

Today was our babysitter's last day and she brought us gifts. I know, she is a true sweetheart. Big J received some dinosaur softies [which he LOVES] and Baby J scored some nifty board books. She even gave me some yummy-smelling candles. We're going to miss having her around. But, we are SO happy that Appah is back home! Hooray for reunited families!

Not only did she include some wonderful vintage buttons [love the fabric cards] and black and white fabric [and you know how I have a thing for b+w fabric!], but she put it all in this cute little linen tote. [Thank you, Amanda!]

I also received some wonderful swap hostess gifts. Lucky me! Kirsten sent me some handmade buttons with the boys' faces on them [so sweet!] and vintage buttons + trim. [Thank you!]

And Wendy sent me some cute vintage buttons in this little Omiyage daffodil. [Thanks!]

For those who missed out on the first round of the vintage button swap, I'll plan to organize another round sometime late fall. Would people be interested in a vintage fabric swap? I know how difficult it is to part with vintage fabric, so I was thinking of swapping small pieces [perfect for patchwork].

Oh, and THREE more days until Appah returns from Asia. We cannot wait!